This St. Clair West eatery does look like a small-town diner – no chrome or Naugahyde, just a rose-and-brown colour scheme and delectable baked goods on a gingham-lined counter. The weekend is when the real magic happens. (Think gingerbread pancakes and sweet-and-salty donuts.) But weekday offerings are made with love, too, like the mega-filling breakfast sandwich built on a house-baked buttermilk biscuit for a respectable $5. (Add $1.50 for crumbly sage sausage or slab-cut house-cured bacon.)

Ex-Stockyards head cook Rachel Pellett and partner Heather Mee parlay a successful catering business into one of downtown's busiest weekend brunch spots. The café's minimal weekday lineup's is worthy of attention, most notably the exemplary retro baked goods. Foodie trivia: the site of the original Pusateri's circa 1963.

Best: to start, fabulously flaky buttermilk biscuits spread with whipped citrus butter and jam du jour; at brunch, those same biscuits as eggs Benedict with house-smoked peameal, poached eggs and a hollandaise infused with whipped cream, griddled red-skin home fries on the side; the Hangover burger, a sage-spiked patty made of ground pork sausage on a house-baked bun dressed with local cheddar, house-cured bacon and sided with skinny thyme-flecked frites; walnut-swirled French toast drizzled with cream cheese and maple syrup; at lunch and brunch, quiche of the day with salad, fruit or spuds; classic Cobb salads.

Complete brunches for $25 per person, including tax, tip and a coffee. Average main $10. No reservations. Unlicensed. Access: barrier-free.